U.S. Navy receives initial delivery of its second stealth destroyer

The U.S. Navy on Tuesday received the initial delivery of the Zumwalt-class destroyer Michael Monsoor, the second of its three stealth destroyers, more than eight years after the start of its fabrication.

The warship's combat system will be installed later in the Navy's two-part approach to delivering the three Zumwalt destroyers, said a U.S. Naval Institute report.

Michael Monsoor conducted its builder's trials in December 2017 and January 2018, and completed its acceptance trials on Feb. 1, said the report. Its shipbuilder is General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW), based in the northeastern U.S. state of Maine.

The ship will now sail to its home port in San Diego, California, for commissioning in January 2019 and for the combat system installation, activation and testing.

Among the U.S. Navy's three stealth destroyers, the lead ship, Zumwalt, was delivered in May 2016 and the third ship Lyndon B. Johnson is still being built in BIW.

A U.S. Defense News report said the three destroyers will make up the class for changes in their mission made earlier this year.

The Navy added Raytheon's SM-6 missiles to the stealth destroyer enabling performance as a ship killer and strike platform, compared to primarily a land-attack platform, said the report.